Blogs from Epupa, Namibia, Africa

We left Melissa's guesthouse after a good breakfast. My travel mates and I were in Shapa's car today, whose name basically means that he was a 'vaccine marker' - essentially, he branded their cattle. He had another name, that I cannot spell, which means "what kind of weapon" which dates back to the German occupation and how their fighters had to use weapons that were non-traditional but available. When he first started out as a guide, he faced a lot of discrimination, including from other guides, for wearing his traditional dress. Little did many realize that he speaks English, Afrikaans, as well as his native Herero language. Along the way, we were passing the western border of Etosha National Park, though not going in for a visit. Etosha is approximately 22,000 square kilometers and it's name ... read more

Great travel scenery today. We flew in a 12-seat Cessna plane for the 3 hour trip from Swakopmund to Epupa Falls on the border with Angola. No toilet on this flight so water intake at breakfast is kept to a minimum. The route followed inland from the Skeleton Coast through the region called Damaraland. This is a mountain landscape with dry valleys between and very few tracks of vehicles for 100’s of kilometres. The occasional circle of acacia thorn branches seen below from 2000 metre height in the plane is evidence of cattle herders’ kraals. The mountains are relics of ancient craton collisions worn down to rounded sandy peaks. When it does rain here the evidence stays in the sandy soil stream beds where drought tolerant shrubs line the route of the occasional water. But no ... read more